Some articles have come out recently talking about the upcoming government move to Linux based systems to avoid being trapped in Microsoft's pocket any longer.
A bit of repeated news here:
South Korea eyes Linux as Windows 7 end of support nears | ZDNet
The naming convention seems to have been updated as it now styles itself as Gooroom OS, though their official website https://www.gooroom.kr currently doesn't have much info on the project, nor any test builds to download and try.
You can get a tiny peek on this promotional security scanner company's SNS feed:
Don't get me started on why on Earth one would need this kind of software on a Linux non-server desktop install, unless the proprietary features of the OS go deep (as I'm guessing it's going to based on their 'security' needs).
TmaxOS gives a hint about this in its two "flavors" of distribution: a paid model including their word processor and a "free" OE model. I don't like the sound of that. There's also a variety of issues this brings up in potentially breaking the Linux GPL license model.
That's the problem; when it comes to Linux and the FOSS world, we pay companies for support, not necessarily for the product. Yes the government is supporting this move but to what end?
This all sounds to me like the push away from dependence on Microsoft is really just a veiled attempt to move away from dependence on a foreign company. Upgrades, maintenance, and support of proprietary code is still going to cost money. The difference is that that sweet government money will be going to the pockets of Korean corporations rather than Redmond which I'm suspicious is the real reason behind these moves.
But most of these projects have been in the pipelines for 5 or 6 years (or even 10 years) and you can see for yourself how many non-Windows PCs are out there in government and business. So I wouldn't hold my breath. But the pieces do seem to be moving.
In other news, it appears that when Edge makes the move to a Chromium-based rendering engine, it will get an Internet Explorer compatibility mode:
People sure are trying to make this a thing but I doubt it's ever going to work as flawless as they want. The fact is there is just a lot of important but ancient programs out there. It's not just Korea that needs these modes supported (in fact Korea has come a long way in the past 5 years to phasing this out). Doctors' offices for example often still rely on IE as an interface for their database software.
The problem here is what proprietary security features will replace it. Not that I'm a huge fan of Microsoft but they bug squashing (and the introduction of much-needed mandatory updates in Win 10) is probably more trustworthy than a company that hasn't gotten their OS together in 10 years. But what do I know.
Meanwhile, if you want to try an actually decent Korean build based on Linux Mint, try "Harmonica" I mean HamoniKR. They did a good job of pre-packaging Korean fonts, settings, even the Hangul Office viewer.
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| Promo for TMaxOS, with "Hancom Office" and "Active X" support. [But that's not Hancom Office and we haven't seen a working Linux version of it in the wild since like 2008...] Screencap: YouTube |
Hancom has been chosen to lead the ROK Army's project of changing operating systems (OS) for digital command, from Microsoft's Windows 7 to the open-source OS Gureum, the company said Thursday.
...
"By using the Gureum OS, the ROK Army can break its subordination to Microsoft. Hancom will develop security measures for devices that run the military command system and also make other application programs to be available on the Gureum OS," Hancom said.
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Developed by the National Security Research Institute, the Gureum platform is an open-source OS and about 30 local companies have been joining the platform business. Hancom joined the project in 2015.
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Based on the Debian Linux free OS, the National Security Research Institute applied its own security framework to the platform to ensure secure access to end users. The platform offers its own web browser and centric management system that can support cloud computing. It also enables operators to control the access of users and devices.
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To expand the features of the platform, Hancom will develop a word processor running only on the Gureum OS and upgrade the web browser.
S. Korean government to switch to Linux: ministry
A bit of repeated news here:
South Korea eyes Linux as Windows 7 end of support nears | ZDNet
The naming convention seems to have been updated as it now styles itself as Gooroom OS, though their official website https://www.gooroom.kr currently doesn't have much info on the project, nor any test builds to download and try.
You can get a tiny peek on this promotional security scanner company's SNS feed:
 |
| Escan running on 구름 OS. Screenshot: Instagram |
Don't get me started on why on Earth one would need this kind of software on a Linux non-server desktop install, unless the proprietary features of the OS go deep (as I'm guessing it's going to based on their 'security' needs).
TmaxOS gives a hint about this in its two "flavors" of distribution: a paid model including their word processor and a "free" OE model. I don't like the sound of that. There's also a variety of issues this brings up in potentially breaking the Linux GPL license model.
 |
| TmaxOS desktop environment. Screenshot: 오픈소스 OS에 대한 티맥스의 한결같은 ‘토종’ 타령 – 테크수다 |
한컴은 일본의 미라클리눅스, 중국의 홍기소프트웨어 등과 손잡고 아시아눅스라는 OS 사업을 펼친 바 있다.
그러나 아시아눅스는 결과적으로 실패했다. 우분투 등 대중적인 리눅스 배포판과 경쟁이 쉽지 않았고, 엔터프라이즈 영역에서는 레드햇이나 수세리눅스 등에 밀렸다. 한컴을 비롯해 아시아눅스 회원사들은 점차 리눅스 사업의 비중을 줄였고, 이제는 사실상 일본의 미라클리눅스 혼자 아시아눅스를 끌고 가는 모습이다.
구름OS, 한컴이 개발한다 - Byline Network
That's the problem; when it comes to Linux and the FOSS world, we pay companies for support, not necessarily for the product. Yes the government is supporting this move but to what end?
This all sounds to me like the push away from dependence on Microsoft is really just a veiled attempt to move away from dependence on a foreign company. Upgrades, maintenance, and support of proprietary code is still going to cost money. The difference is that that sweet government money will be going to the pockets of Korean corporations rather than Redmond which I'm suspicious is the real reason behind these moves.
But most of these projects have been in the pipelines for 5 or 6 years (or even 10 years) and you can see for yourself how many non-Windows PCs are out there in government and business. So I wouldn't hold my breath. But the pieces do seem to be moving.
In other news, it appears that when Edge makes the move to a Chromium-based rendering engine, it will get an Internet Explorer compatibility mode:
크로미엄 기반 엣지 브라우저는 'IE 모드(IE mode)'라는 기능을 품는다. IE 모드는 엣지 앱에서 방문한 웹사이트를 윈도의 IE11 버전 브라우저로 접속한 것처럼 보여 주는 기능이다. 윈도용 파이어폭스와 크롬 확장기능 'IE 탭' 또는 네이버 웨일의 '플러그인 호환 모드'를 연상시킨다.''
MS 엣지, IE 탭 기능 품는다 - ZDNet korea
People sure are trying to make this a thing but I doubt it's ever going to work as flawless as they want. The fact is there is just a lot of important but ancient programs out there. It's not just Korea that needs these modes supported (in fact Korea has come a long way in the past 5 years to phasing this out). Doctors' offices for example often still rely on IE as an interface for their database software.
The problem here is what proprietary security features will replace it. Not that I'm a huge fan of Microsoft but they bug squashing (and the introduction of much-needed mandatory updates in Win 10) is probably more trustworthy than a company that hasn't gotten their OS together in 10 years. But what do I know.
Meanwhile, if you want to try an actually decent Korean build based on Linux Mint, try "Harmonica" I mean HamoniKR. They did a good job of pre-packaging Korean fonts, settings, even the Hangul Office viewer.
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